Week 58 - There is a Better Way Than Simply Fleeing

Dearest friends and family,

Part of the high school curriculum here in Ecuador involves all of the students basically pledging allegiance to the country in an expression of respect. We were pretty disturbed entering into a discussion between Marcia Chavez and her son as he explained that in his school the LDS kids along with kids from other churches were forced to stand off to the side during the allegiance ceremony and were prohibited from participating. His observation was quickly followed by a statement that: “from now on, I don’t want to take any more lessons from the hermanos.”

Sometimes people can ask a really tough question or catch us off-guard as missionaries, leaving us to stammer for a moment as we consider which one of us is better equipped to respond. After hearing the statement of Marcia’s son, Elder Cuevas and I looked at one another, and then he gave me a little nod basically saying “yep – you’re up.” And just as I was about to open my mouth, Hermana Marcia surveyed her children in the room and then shared her thoughts on the matter in a way that impacted me and my thought process. I apologize that her statement doesn’t have the same ring in English but she basically said to her sons: “No, that is not the answer. If I had been there at the ceremony, I would have marched myself down to the stage and told every single one of those children: ‘Be calm. Sometimes God allows opposition just because He wants to see what we are going to do about it.” She then explained that she would have then gone over and punched the director for segregating the kids like that…we all laughed (and hoped she was only kidding).

It was easy to build off Hermana Marcia’s comment and I added my own opinion that God permits us trials to help us see if we will permit ourselves to be taught by them. I then asked the son how he was going react which prompted a long and uplifting discussion about what God expects from him and us. Basically the thought that I’m trying to extract from my brain and get down on paper is that, in many circumstances of opposition, there is a better way than simply fleeing. When the trial comes, it is time to raise that head up with grace and calmly look for the thing God would have us learn for it. It was, for me, an edifying conversation.

We left Marcia’s house and headed back toward the chapel. Walking by, I noticed a little head duck down behind a wall on the basketball court. We investigated a little more closely and found several children running around and playing on the courts. I laughed a tiny bit and poked my head in further. When they saw us, they all booked it and jumped the fence, not looking back even once. It made me laugh. A little exodus. I’m well and happy. Talk soon,

-          EE

In another observation (as a parent), I'm trying hard to ignore the apparent 3 pizza per boy ratio in the photo below. I'm sure there must be more missionaries around not pictured. Right? 

Week 57 - Cruising Along

Dearest friends and family,

Hello friends and family. Welcome to the Elder Ericksen weekly update. What can I say? I am crazy busy, which I think has been an overall theme for the last two months. I’ve become rather fond of expressing a good week-to-week summary. It helps me reset my mind. So here I am! I’m going to shoot out a few bullet points for this week:

• In the mission the Latin elders have the opportunity to learn English from the North Americans and part of that is done with little quizzes given over the phone by the office secretaries from Quito. Elder Cuevas has been really excited about learning English and I have been helping him pass off lots of these quizzes. The one observation I have had is that these calls are one of the most stressful events that can happen for the Latin missionaries because it is really hard to understand English over the phone.
• I am eating way more food than any human ever should be allowed to. We have a very large pool of Investigators to visit that are progressing nicely and basically all of them invite us to eat something after we’re done teaching. It’s a very nice gesture every one, but I have been feeling a little sick from all the food lately. A couple of nights ago I got up at 2 AM to puke simply because I was too full. I am always full.
• We have tons of people to visit here and we are stretched pretty thin, especially at night. We have at least 10 different families who want visits every week and who are only available after 7pm. Tonight we did a division where I went out to teach with one man from the church (Luis Guerrero) and my companion went out with a different man from the church (Jackson Mendoza) just so we could cover more of our appointments. It was fun and effective.
• I am super excited about the General Conference of the church happening next weekend. It will be so edifying and emotionally satisfying to see something familiar from the US. The messages also always really lift me up and inspire me.

I love and miss you all despite really enjoying being here in Ecuador. I am a very satisfied missionary.

With love,

Elder Ericksen

Week 56 - You Gotta Have A Good Morning On Your Wedding Day

Dearest friends and family,

It’s sad that I had to go to Ecuador to figure this out, but we kids from California really are the best. I really should have known way before, as if it wasn’t obvious, but now I’m certain of it. We received a new missionary in the district this week from California’s Central Valley, Elder Vega, and he is quickly becoming a great friend. I knew we were going to get along well from the moment we met last Monday when I saw his Volcom t-shirt and Nike Janoski shoes, particularly my uniform back home. There was just an air about him. Upon seeing us greet one another, some sister missionaries from other parts of the US made fun of us saying: “Look, it’s so obvious Elders Ericksen and Vega are from Cali.” I quickly made the joke that was begging to be made that it was obvious they weren’t from California because no one from California would ever say “Cali” like that. I’m funny. J

Now that I’m thinking about it, I really enjoyed P-day this last Monday. I got to spend time with other missionaries, we played an epic game of dodgeball, and we ate something pretty good food. The rhythm of the week continued at this same, smooth pace and I’m really glad for that. On Tuesday we had the privilege and blessing of seeing 2 of our favorite investigators get married at the Registro Civil office. It stuck out to me how it’s very intense in the moment when the judge says: “Are you here by your own free will and do you want to get married to this person?” (Rough paraphrasing). What I took away from that moment is that you’ve really got to have a good morning on the day of your wedding, eat a good breakfast, and be in a good mood because, wow, everything could get ruined quickly if one of the pair shows up and says “you know what, I actually don’t want to get married. This fool didn’t even wash his cereal bowl this morning.” Luckily nothing like that occurred on Tuesday and Luis and Soledad's ceremony was great.

On Wednesday, Elder Vega came to my area in Cayambe for an interchange. We ate a quick lunch with some members that live a little outside of town, shared a brief message with them, and then went out to work. We accomplished a lot, feeding off one other’s work ethic and his fresh-from-the-MTC newbie attitude. We found a woman in our path who shared a cool story with us about her journey from New York to Ecuador. I doubted at first the validity of her story because she didn’t remember much English. But all doubts were resolved when she offered us a drink…with ice! It was interesting how we all looked at each other in a moment of mutual understanding over something as small as a couple of cubes of ice.

Truth is, culture is amazing. I’m going to keep my opinions to myself but I’ve definitely observed lots of things that I like here more than where I come from and lots of things here that I like a lot less. More than anything, the impression that arrives to me time after time is that it’s nobody’s fault the world is so big and so different in its many corners – it’s just how we are and that’s okay. Let’s just accept our differences and be happy!

The week finished strong with another interchange with Elder Welch in his area in Otavalo. We talked all day long and produced an epic day in nearly every aspect of missionary work. I opened saying California kids are the best but Elder Welch gets included in my self-righteous complement because he’s simply amazing. Had we met before the mission, we would have been the closest of friends. After we finish this mission thing, I’m going to have lots of people to visit all around the world. And that’s awesome.

Lastly, we had the privilege of participating in the baptisms of some people the last couple of weeks, including Luis and Soledad on Saturday. And like that the work moves along. I’m without complaints, I’m staying positive, loving and learning more every day. I’ll be seeing you before we know it. Have an amazing week.

Elder Ericksen

Week 55 - Guinea Pig...Yum!

Dearest friends and family,

WARNING: READ WITH CAUTION. HIDE THE CHILDRENS’ EYES AND PROCEED WITH STRONG STOMACH

“Pues, es mi tierra y es costumbre que la novia da 25 cuyes a los padrinos, pero yo no voy a dar 25…yo voy a matar a todos para la fiesta, jajaja.” This is a quote from Hermana Soledad, one of the people we have been teaching and she told us last night that she has more than 40 cuys prepared for the lunch on Saturday in celebration of her wedding. I’m starting this letter on Thursday morning, with a good 3 days of anticipation remaining, so we don’t know yet if I’ll be eating one of those 160 cuy legs for sure but I’m hopeful! Stay tuned to find out.

Wow, so Friday was the craziest, most hectic day of my mission to date. Where do I even start? Finishing breakfast one minute before 8am, we get a call saying from Hermana Soledad that 1) the marriage witnesses fell through and 2) an unexpected error happened at the Civil Registry office and she and Luis had forfeited their appointment at 4pm later that day. Soledad asked us to find 2 witnesses and said she’d ask for permission to get off work at 2pm so she and Luis could try and squeeze into an earlier time slot. We of course said “okay” and went to work. We were able to get everything lined up on our side but frustratingly the soon to be husband and wife couldn’t arrive. And their wedding has been postponed until Tuesday.

More than anything, I’m happiest when everyone around me is happy so I did my best in the circumstances to keep our spirits up. It was an interesting afternoon. Soledad told me that they wouldn’t cancel the Saturday lunch because they had already purchased the food and they’d make it a pre-celebration lunch. She also asked that we continue inviting Church members and to have everything ready for Saturday at 1:30.

It looked like this week wasn’t going to let up on me in terms of stress and problem solving! Saturday was another great but hectic day. We went up to Cangahua to enjoy the lunch and everything turned out great. Lots of members were able to join them and express their support for the almost newlywed couple which brought me lots of relief. Also, a definite highlight of the day, I can finally provide a first-hand witness and confirmation that our furry little friends, the cuyes, are basically Ecuadorian bacon. I mean they don’t have a ton of meat on them and what gets eaten is skin, nice and crispy. Don’t call me crazy but I actually really enjoyed them. The plate was intimidating with steak, chicken, potatoes, choclo and cuy but I was very content. The family also brought down a lamb to make a stew. Yes it was a lot of food, but everyone was very happy. My comp and I hit the road earlier than the rest of the members who stayed up on the hill for a while longer in order to come home and get back to work and also to put final touches on the baptismal service plans for that evening. Alexandra, who had been getting ready for baptism on the 16^th of September, asked us to bring it up a week and of course we weren’t going to say no to that.

All in all, it was an incredible week. We are juggling lots of things but so far every single one has come out miraculously well and we haven’t dropped any major balls. I’m content and enjoying the pace and managing well. I miss and love you guys. Oh yeah, guinea pig is pretty delicious. I approve. 

Have a great week,

Elder Ericksen

  

Week 54 - Higher Motives

Dearest friends and family,

Well, Week 6 has come upon us again here in La Mision Ecuador Quito Norte and, as expected, the troops are animated and making guesses about who, to where, and how it will all take place when the call comes on Saturday night. For me it’s been an abnormal Week 6 because I’m relaxed and tranquil considering it’s near certain I will remain here in Cayambe to at least finish the training of Elder Cuevas. And I like that certainty – it means that we can stay focused and just keep on working instead of worrying about changes that may come. That doesn’t mean I’m not completely unaffected because our district will change a bit and I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye to some really good friends. I’m so blessed that I’ve been able to find awesome people who understand me and who have helped me feel infinitely more comfortable outside of my country. It’s interesting but the cultures of Central American countries more closely approximate the culture of North America, at least from what I’ve seen. I’ll never forget Elder Morales from Guatemala or Elder Hernandez from El Salvador, both of whom became great friends and strengths to me.

I’m not saying this sarcastically but rather with enormous gratitude (and I want the kids to especially listen well) but the mission really helped me realize that everything my parents ever told me is extremely important. At times it’s both sad and funny. I don’t want to give out too many details at the risk of bringing shame or embarrassment to someone - perhaps if I someday turn these letters into a book after the mission I can fill you in on all the stories using pseudonyms or something. Basically what I am trying to say is that while we are missionaries, and serving God and others is our mission, we are also people and we have to live – we all go back to an apartment, like everyone else, at the end of the day. I’m being awfully vague aren’t I? Uh, ok. Everybody…it’s important to be clean and to think about what you do, and to wash your dishes, and buy toilet paper before it runs out, and to not complain, and to be grateful for what you have in the moment, and blah, blah, lots more things…haha. Parents – thank you for loving me and for teach me all that you have and for not giving up on me when I was so stubborn.

On Tuesday morning we were out “contacting” or “tracting” as it is called in the US. To be honest I don’t like either word, I much prefer to say “finding” new people to help or teach. So we were out in an area called “Santa Marianita” which is code for “dusty little part of the countryside” about 20 minutes outside of Cayambe. We saw a kind looking gentleman who saw us while walking by and quickly put his head down and began walking away from us a little faster than he had been. I asked my great companion, who sometimes gets nervous in potentially awkward situations, if he noticed and he replied with a quiet “si”. I’ve learned to love out of the ordinary situations like this so we quickly started walking after the man and caught up to him right as he arrived at his lot. We walked up on a scene of his family sitting outside watching with 2 buff truck-driver dudes unloading a big supply of metal tubes/poles from their truck into his front yard. Some of the poles were rusty and all were oddly heavy but Elder Cuevas and I jumped in to help without asking. We learned that Senor Jose Quispe solders these poles together and then attaches tarps go over them as part of his greenhouse construction business. And we were pleased to be able to help them this particular morning but not nearly as pleased as Hermano Quispe was to learn that we were not the bill collectors from his bank, coming to collect late fees and loan payments, as he suspected we were and prompted him to heads-down flee from us. Just like I knew it would, this potentially awkward situation turned to laughter, smiles, a shared coca-cola, and brief message together with all of them. It was a great experience.

This little story has been in my mind this week because it speaks to me about what I mentioned earlier about why we do things and why we obey the rules. Maybe many children (like me), adults, and other people get caught up in moments in their life, like Hermano Quispe, where we react out of a lesser quality motivation like fear or obligation. But later in life, as we learn and grow (like when Hermano Quispe found out we weren’t there to shake him down for pocket change, but rather to help and enlighten his family), we realize it all changes when we act out of love and obey not because of fear or obligation but because of love. Let us all act/obey/react out of the highest-quality motivator: love. Let’s leave our egos at the door and enjoy success together. I promise its better this way.

With lots of affection,

Elder Ericksen

Other tidbits:

• Adam made pizzas this week with one of the local familes. If you look closely in the top most photo you can see a mini-mini pizza in the center of his hand. Adam has been requesting lots of recipes from Lisa recently and may come home with some new culinary skills
• Adam and Elder Cuevas went to the "real" Equator monument outside of Cayambe today - not to be confused with the "touristy" one closer to Quito. The days and nights are equally long, all year round, on the Ecuator.

Week 53 - Look for More than Ya!

Dearest friends and family,

Something that I like that we do, but I seldom talk about, is the English classes we teach as part of our community service. I have taught many classes in nearly every one of my areas, but I am especially enjoying teaching English here in Cayambe. Maybe it is because the class is a tad bit smaller than we are used to? Or maybe it is because one of my favorite families, the familia Guerrero, always comes? Or maybe it is because I’ve found a new sense of confidence in both my Spanish and my teaching abilities of late? Or maybe it is because we often get a little off topic and end up joking, laughing and enjoying ourselves? I’m not sure which, perhaps it's a combination of all these things, but we have really been enjoying our classes every Wednesday evening.

Like any normal classroom setting, my class sometimes gets off topic. This past week I brought up the fact that I’ve been happy drinking a chocolate dust used to make chocolate milk called “Ricacao” (an off-brand version of Nesquik). Those of you who know me will understand that I can’t just say “Ricacao” but I instead semi-shout the name, letting the “cao” roll off my tongue with a more gravelly voice…a deep “RICA-CAOOOO!” So we were talking about that for a minute and then got even more off topic as the discussion moved onto other powder-in-water drinks. I made a final mistake of mentioning that I also enjoy this Kool-Aid type juice here called “Jugosya.” For me, it’s really convenient to boil 2 liters of water, throw in a 30-cent packet of powder, and turn that water into purazno, maracuya, guanabara, or even pina colada. I even love it’s name. In Spanish, “ya” means “now” or “already” so jugosya is a little play on words like you put the powder in and “ya – there’s your juice.” I don’t know, I’m a fan.

Anyway, I made the mistake of mentioning the Jugosya in front of this small group of people trying to learn English and immediately caught the wrath of one woman (who will remain unnamed) who chastised me for drinking things that are so unhealthy. In response, I tried to explain the convenience of it - that we (especially we Americans) love things that come “ya!” Fast food, ya! Finding information on the Internet, ya! Buying the latest gadget ya! More class members came to her defense, chiming in that the powder was just citric acid and food coloring. In the end, everyone ended up teasing everyone else and lots of laughs and smiles were shared. And not to continue the debate, I do think I ended up winning on the basis of cost alone – I mean it’s 2-liters of “juice” for only 30 cents!

This leads me to my point. I know I’ve touched on this before, but I wanted to share this week about something that has become very important for me. My mission – my time here in Ecuador - has taught me to pay attention to what I am supposed to be doing and learning right now; to pay attention to what God wants me to learn in this, and every, moment. So we got to do exchanges this week with Elders Welch and Harmon in Otavalo. Exchanges are always a good and lesson-filled time for me – a chance to learn and share with other missionaries with whom we don’t normally work. I went out with Elder Harmon and am grateful to get to know him a little better. I must confess while working that afternoon, I was feeling itchy about getting back to the apartment that evening because we had plans to cook dinner together and to commemoratively burn one of my white shirts in celebration of completing one year in the mission. I was also looking forward to catching up with Elder Welch who served with me back in Tulcan/Ipiales. Anyway, as we walked I was caught up in my thoughts of the evening to come when, all of a sudden, a huge “WHY?” flashed across my mind. Here I was, walking through some of the most beautiful countryside on my way to an appointment and I wasn’t in the moment. We paused to check our directions and then Elder Harmon led us up a quick little hill overlooking a stunningly beautiful lake resting at the base of the epic Imbabura volcano. And it was there, in that moment, I snapped to and appreciated what we were doing, genuinely. We continued a little further up the hill, to the home of an older gentleman who lost his wife 4-years ago. We shared a message perfect for him, which he graciously accepted as evidenced by the look of relief and comfort that came across his face as we spoke. I am not sure what will happen with him because my area is far from where he lives but Elders Welch and Harmon have a return appointment in the week to come. I definitely learned what time was trying to teach me that afternoon.

I know school is starting for many back home and my siblings and the majority of my student friends and, in some cases their families, aren’t looking forward to it. And I would never suggest summer isn’t amazing and infinitely better than being in school. But I am going to leave you with a thought: I wish I had paid a little more attention prior to my mission…more attention to the moment and what time was trying to teach me all those years, instead of just constantly looking forward to the next thing – the next meal, the next vacation, the next weekend, the next “ya!” Remember friends that the real juice is always much, much better than the powder-in-water substitute. Be in the moment and seek the real thing. I love you all. Have an excellent week.

- EE

Week 52 - The Benefit of Genuine Friends

Dearest friends and family,

I started writing this letter a couple of days ago on the bus but it started sounding negative so I decided to scrap it, start over and write a few words this week about friendship. I remember last year when we got into the “winding down” part of senior year nearly everyone was stressed and on edge with end of year activities. One day information about Prom Court nominations leaked and I overheard in the halls a “whaaaat? Her? She got nominated? I mean…I love her, but no, not her…” A proclamation of disapproval and disappointment regarding a prom court nominee from a supposed “good friend” one breezy Friday afternoon. I didn’t understand and found myself chuckling a little as I watched this stress bring out the predatory instincts of two “friends.” What I took away from that experience is an awareness of genuine friendships in life where the friends want, and find joy in, the success of another. Successes are a reason for both to rejoice and be happy...a moment to sit back and say “wow, good for you, I’m really proud…you did a great job and really deserve this.” And I realized there are friendships that we sometimes find where success of one drives the other crazy and quickly surfaces raw, jealous or other negatives emotions and frustration. I’m sure you’ve seen this play out in real life and can relate to what I’m trying to say.

I bring this up as a long-winded introduction to a topic that has been on my mind lately: the mission has been an amazingly powerful catalyst in helping me appreciate and seek genuine friends.

Elder Cuevas and I got called to Quito twice this week. The first visit was to get his visa paperwork squared away and the second visit was for “verifications”, where the mission leaders and President Murphy verify his progress as a newbie and give us trainers tips in how to be more effective trainers. It was an edifying series of meetings. I remember when I arrived, just 10 months ago, before getting in the car to go to the bus station and heading off to the coast, I asked President Murphy when I would see him next. It was a comfort to be around him and to receive his instruction…a comfort that if any problem should ever arise, he would be there and able to help. In this week’s meetings I picked up on a little of that from the newbies and it brought back a lot of feelings of my own arrival.

All in all, verifications went well but, by far, the best part was getting to spend time with some of my best missionary friends. We got into Quito around 8 and made our way to the “La Luz,” the area of Elders George and Moon, and went to work with them for a few hours. We got some chocolate milk and bread and made our way back to their house for lunch. It’s so comforting talking with someone who completely understands and shares my exact same feelings on so many topics, which is why Elder George and I get along so well. We talked about how sometimes missionaries become like robots and forget about everything that mattered to them before leaving, including their family, friends, and interests and how some even seem to lose their personalities. We reasoned God made us with differences for a reason and those differences are often a necessary tool to be able to do the things He wants us to do. We also decided that sometimes our family members are the ones who most need our help and it’s our duty to be there for them as well. I guess the gist is that we just want to be the best missionaries we can be and that we want to grow and improve; we want to weed out the negative character traits we brought to the mission without changing so much that we lose the positive character traits and who we were before coming out here. Makes sense?

As we were talking and laughing, all of a sudden Elder Castagno walked in! He was getting his visa renewed as well and had traveled down from Ipiales. Oh wow, I can’t even describe the joy we felt in seeing one another: it was all hugs and smiles and laughter the rest of the day and well into the night. These are exactly the types of genuine friends I was talking about in the beginning of my letter. Friends I want to see succeed and who want to see me do well.

I am grateful for your friendship as well. Know that I’m happy, healthy and staying positive while enjoying many new genuine friendships here in Ecuador. Have a great week. I love and miss you all.

Love,

Elder Ericksen